Funding supports research into climate-resilient NHS hospitals

Researchers at Glasgow Caledonian are developing a Digital Twin-based framework to help hospitals reduce carbon emissions while becoming more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Led by Dr George Loumakis and Professor Rohinton Emmanuel, with PhD researcher Shefali Chauhan, the project is being delivered in partnership with Professor Berk Canberk of Edinburgh Napier University, with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) as an external collaborator.

The research will explore how Digital Twin technology can support the sustainable management of healthcare estates by creating virtual representations of hospital assets using operational, energy and environmental data.

Working with Scotland's largest health board, which serves around 1.3 million people across 23 hospitals, nine acute sites and more than 70 health centres and clinics, the team aims to develop a decision-support framework that can assess the potential impact of renewable energy technologies, decarbonisation measures and climate adaptation interventions.

The work supports the ambitions of the NHS Scotland Climate Emergency and Sustainability Strategy by providing evidence-based recommendations to support future decision-making. The researchers hope the framework could also provide a scalable model for other Scottish health boards working towards net zero.

The project has secured funding through Scotland Beyond Net Zero (SBNZ) and is the second collaborative initiative involving Glasgow Caledonian and Edinburgh Napier University to receive support through the programme. It also builds on the growing partnership between Glasgow Caledonian's Healthcare Built Environment Doctoral Academy and Edinburgh Napier University's Scottish Healthcare Built Environment Network (SHBEN), bringing together expertise to support more sustainable and climate-resilient healthcare estates.

Dr Loumakis said: "Digital Twins have huge potential to transform how healthcare estates are planned and managed. By developing robust models of overheating risk and energy performance, we can help NHS Scotland better understand the long-term impact of different interventions before they are implemented. Ultimately, this project is about providing practical evidence to support more resilient, sustainable healthcare infrastructure."

Professor Emmanuel said: "This project builds on our longstanding collaboration with the Scottish health sector, particularly NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and strengthens our partnership with colleagues at Edinburgh Napier University. By bringing together expertise in the built environment, energy efficiency and climate resilience, we can develop practical tools that support those responsible for managing healthcare estates."

Professor Billy Hare, of Glasgow Caledonian's School of Science and Engineering, said: "This latest seed funding is excellent news for our researchers and will help generate the evidence needed to identify practical ways of reducing carbon emissions while improving the resilience of healthcare buildings. Bringing together expertise through collaborations such as the Healthcare Built Environment Doctoral Academy and SHBEN demonstrates how multidisciplinary partnerships can deliver meaningful impact on some of society's biggest challenges."

The project is one of 14 initiatives funded through the latest Scotland Beyond Net Zero seed funding round, supporting collaborative research that addresses challenges including sustainable healthcare, climate resilience and the transition to a low-carbon economy.